Harris-Walz campaign communications director Michael Tyler dismissed President Joe Biden delivering his Democratic National Convention speech late into the night, arguing there was so much applause given to those who spoke.
Biden’s speech ended up starting at 11:25 p.m. ET on Monday night, almost 90 minutes after he was intended to start at 10 p.m. The delay was criticized online by Meghan McCain, who argued that whoever made him stay up so late “is an a**hole” and was “disrespectful” to him.
I’m tapping out – I can’t stay up this late, we all have lives and kids. God speed to our 81 year old President getting through the speech at this hour.
Whatever producers did this to him and let it go over this long at this hour is an asshole and it is disrespectful to Biden.
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) August 20, 2024
“I think what you saw last night, there’s no doubt that we got a little bit behind schedule, but the fact of the matter is that you had speaker after speaker after speaker that was interrupted with applause after applause after applause,” Tyler said on Fox News’s America’s Newsroom. “And it’s because you have a Democratic Party that is, No. 1, as you saw last night, united in its gratitude to President Biden, united in its support for Kamala Harris, and united in their enthusiasm that they have for this election because they fundamentally understand the stakes.”
Tyler also dismissed concerns about Harris taking up Biden’s reins as the 2024 presidential candidate, arguing he selected her because “she would be ready on day one.”
Following Biden’s speech, CNN anchor Jake Tapper speculated that the president’s speech starting so late could make viewers think Biden “got the fuzzy end of the lollipop.” He also argued that it was “fair” to say the Republican National Convention organizers ran “a tighter ship” with its scheduled speakers.
Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf contended “it was kind of shocking” that Biden did not deliver his speech until so late into the evening, joking the organizers were “waiting for people to get to sleep.” He did contend that the speech itself was “a proper send-off” for Biden.
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A DNC official stated that certain parts of Monday’s program had to get axed in order to get Biden to speak “as quickly as possible.” Among the acts cut was reportedly a performance by James Taylor, who was seen on Monday rehearsing for a performance that was set to go between first lady Jill Biden’s speech and Ashley Biden’s introduction of her father.
The DNC is set to continue every night through Thursday, with Tuesday night’s lineup of speakers consisting of former President Barack Obama, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, former first lady Michelle Obama, and Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL).